Wichita eagle., 1887-01-06
OUR TERRITORY LETTER.
The Schools and Holidays Of Our Indian
Neighbors.

mas, with its hopes, surprises and dlsap
pointments, has been honored by the In
dams as well as by the white man. No on
need believe this Christian holiday is
stranger to these hestheEs The few
whites in the country have had since tn
agencies were first established permanent
ly with the regularly recurring season
special preparations and observances, pr
marty for the benefit of the Indian schoo
children, until now the big Medicine
! day is as anxiously looked for as by any
community in the world Of civilization
| There are six schools maintained On tht
two reservations il this part of the Terri
tory, four ON tie Cheyenne and Arapahot
reserve, and two on the kiowa, Comancht
and Wichita reserve Two of the former
are maintained by the Mennonite church,
which, by the way, seems to be about the
one Of all our many denominations
enough interested in the chris.
tianization Of these people, to estab
lish practical missions amongst them. Al
each of these six schools, Christmas festivi
ties have been held, presents scattered and
many little hearts made glad. The older
Indians take deep interest in the matter
and the school buildings are always crowd
appearance Elaborate trimmings were
made, walls decorated with scriptural
NOTES appropriate to the occasion, and a
Christmas treeslighted by numerous tapcrs
and hung with the presents. was exposed
to view, when the eagerly waiting audience
was admitted. Carols, recitations and
kindred exercises opened and closed the
performance. Apples, candies and nuts
were generally distributed to all At the
Cheyenne school a new idea was introduc-
ed, consisting of the erection upon the
platform of the assembly room of an In
dian tepce, out of which, just as Santa
Claus appeared, issued small Cheyenne
girl, who in neat little speech, tod the
merry old gentleman, that 10, for these
many years, the children of the white
people had been visited by him,
while the small redskin had never
known him and beseeched him to show no
impartiality to different colors, and invit-
ing him to enter her lodge, for a com
mencement Of the new order Of things, led
the way and he following, the distribution
of gifts began.
That these schools are important factors
in the work of civilizins these Indians,
goes without saying. They are doubtless
the most important factors, but it may
well he questioned whether the establish
ment Of Indian training schools at any
great distance from their reservations, is n
measure of good. We now have certain
schools all over the country in which are
being educated children from various In
dian tribes, those at Hampton, Va, and
Carlisle, Pa, being the most prominent
The greatest objection yet urged against
sendiRg Indian children to the easter.
states, is the one Of health, and it is an
important one The climate is totally diff
ferent. To exchange the dry, clear eli
mate of Kansas and the Indian territory,
for the damp, foggy atmosphere Of the
seaboaTd, is to naturally develop
in any one predisposed to pulmonary
troubles, the seeds Of consumption
al kindred troubles and the records will
show great mortality from this cause
The item Of transportation is another OBJ
jectien, for it is plainly less expensive to
bring few teachers to the Indians than
to take a large number Of scholars to the
distant schools; and il is but reasonable to
suppose that given the same facilities On
the reservation that are enjoyed of it, the
results will be equal The only argument
in favor of taking the children away seems
to rest in the fact that separated from all
native influences and drawb backs the child
advances more rapidly, surrounded as it is
by all the influences of civilization. Does
this alone recompense the objections? If
So it would seem that the end aimed at
might be attained equally as well by select
ing point possessing the climatic features
of their own country, and this point would
be Kansas. Already has one large school
been located in that state-the Haskell
Institute at Lawrence, Kansas. So far
as the capacity of that school
goes, it was right move.
but it is rot capacious enough, and the es-
Of a large school at Cbilocco,
near Arkansas City, Kansas, within the
Territory has not proven a greater success
than the agency schools This one is too
near: disconnected child will find lis way
back home, and truancy appears with the
Indian parents only neglect to properly
guard and care for them.
The present administration has been ex-
ceedingly liberal in the matter of Indian
education, and it would seam that if the
progressive and enterprising people who
have made Wichita what il is. were To take
hold of this matter in earnest through their
representatives in congress, they could Sc
cure for your city the establishment of An
Industrial and training school for the In
dams, since she possesses all the features
which commend the east and none of its
objections CYNoS